Yale applicants offered Yale-NUS option

Simply by checking a box on their application supplements, students applying to Yale this year can simultaneously submit applications to Yale-NUS College in Singapore.

The Yale Supplement — an add-on to the Common Application that the University requires all applicants to complete — includes a new selection box this year allowing students to share their Yale applications with Yale-NUS without any additional fees or materials. Yale-NUS, a joint venture between Yale and the National University of Singapore, will enroll its first class of students in the 2013-’14 school year. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeffrey Brenzel said in an email to the News that the Admissions Office has not yet received enough applications to determine how many students will select the option and that numbers may differ for the early and regular admission rounds. But Jeremiah Quinlan, deputy dean of admissions for the University and Yale-NUS dean of admissions and financial aid, said he expects steady interest in the Yale-NUS option.

“After conducting outreach in over 30 countries on five continents and raising awareness about Yale-NUS for the past 12 months, we expect some very strong and interested students to apply to the College, and we are looking forward to reviewing their applications,” Quinlan said in an email to the News.

Brenzel said that the decision to add the sharing option on the Yale Supplement stemmed from the desire to make the “application process as easy as possible” for students interested in applying to both Yale and Yale-NUS. He added that he thinks international students will be particularly interested in the option.

The supplement also makes it clear to applicants that sharing their applications with Yale-NUS will not affect admission decisions at Yale. Because each school has a separate admissions process, Brenzel said he is not concerned about students shying away from the option out of fear of jeopardizing their Yale applications.

According to the supplement, students applying to Yale even in the Early Action round are eligible to select the option to share their applications with Yale-NUS because the new college is outside the United States, so it does not violate the single-choice rule for early applications. Applicants interested in solely applying to Yale-NUS can do so through a separate application on the College’s website.

Students applying to Yale have had mixed reactions to the addition of the Yale-NUS option. Two of six students interviewed said they have already selected or will select the option.

Vincent Tang, a high school senior from Oklahoma, said he is choosing to share his Yale application with Yale-NUS because of the opportunity to pursue a well-rounded and multicultural education outside of the United States. He said he remains slightly unsure whether the school will offer a typical “Yale experience” but added that he thinks the school can still offer an interesting education.

“The curriculum should be very strong and unique because it will offer two different perspectives on issues and topics,” Tang said, adding that he also appreciated how easy it was to share his application with both schools.

Yale-NUS College will enroll an inaugural class of 150 freshmen next fall.

Comments

formerNUSprof

But why do this when Yale does not deliver the degree upon completion? The name Yale-NUS is confusing to Yale applicants as “Every student will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours or a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours from Yale-NUS College, **awarded by NUS**.” See http://yale-nus.edu.sg/index.php/about/yale-nus-faqs.html Is it abundantly clear to all prospective Yale applicants that they will be getting a degree awarded by the National University of Singapore, NOT Yale?

wtf

“He said he remains slightly unsure whether the school will offer a typical “Yale experience” but added that he thinks the school can still offer an interesting education.”

How could there be any question of offering a typical Yale experience if it isn’t Yale? Hopefully only a few students are fooled into believing Yale-NUS is a viable alternative to a real American education (if no one chooses to go, then how can the “college” exist?).